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The weather wasn't too bad tonight but the wind combined with an awful pitch meant a poor game tonight v Stoke but a win nevertheless.Not a lot of quality to talk about although Facey and Denayer looked pretty good at the back.Lawlor excelled himself in goal making a few good saves including a penalty but unfortunately most of Stoke's serious attacks came from bad kicks/passes from the keeper.

It's tough on a keeper when he is expected to play the ball out all the time but the pitch being bobbly made the first touch very difficult and Stoke did recognise this and were pushing up very tight.Into the wind there were few decent attacks from City.A few few good breaks from deep by Lopes but the final pass decision never right.With the wind passes were still hard to make and it's no surprise that the only goal came from a strong press by Lopes won the ball inside the D and Cole scored.

The 2 other best chances came from Lopes passes.One a clever backheel set Cole away to win a penalty which Lopes missed.He did seem to be affected by the miss but did recover to fight and win the ball for the goal. The blot on the night was Greg Leigh's sending off.Probably deserved if unlucky as he was being manhandled and swung round in frustration and caught the guy. So the first foul was by Stoke, and the guy was booked, but the free kick went to Stoke.

Just a hint that the ref was crap and he went on to book Bytyqi,Facey and Lopes when his weird decisions were challenged in 2 cases.Facey did square up to someone and pushed him but nowt was done to him whatever he did.

Great win playing poorly to keep the run going but the sooner they stop playing at Hyde the better. Good to see the youth cup game isn't there but not sure why it's at Boundary Park.

Saw on twitter that the ref had a poor game Doug.Also mentioned the rough conditions seemed like Lopes was the star man even though he missed the pen.Coles third in 3 also.

What's the craic with Pozo Dougo?

ant london wrote:What's the craic with Pozo Dougo?

Not sure.His injury was quite a bad one and when he came back he just didn't seem the same and was in and out and now is out.My guess is he came back too quickly and has had some more problems.

He was just about to come on tonight as we needed a goal and Vieira had been having words with Hiwula to get involved and then we scored and Leigh was sent off.To be honest the game cried out for someone like Pozo although the state of the pitch would have made it hard for him as with anyone trying to run with the ball.

I will watch out for him.

gillie wrote:Saw on twitter that the ref had a poor game Doug.Also mentioned the rough conditions seemed like Lopes was the star man even though he missed the pen.Coles third in 3 also.

Yeah the ref lost it for a bit and started throwing yellows around which doesn't often happen like that in EDS type games.Lopes did stand out a bit as having quality but unfortunately his fast breaks just didn't bring anything in the end.He did though put Hiwula through 1 on 1 plus a neat backheel for Cole set him clear as well and he won the pen as he drew a foul from the massive Stoke center back.Both chances hit wide.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

ant london wrote:What's the craic with Pozo Dougo?

Not sure.His injury was quite a bad one and when he came back he just didn't seem the same and was in and out and now is out.My guess is he came back too quickly and has had some more problems.

He was just about to come on tonight as we needed a goal and Vieira had been having words with Hiwula to get involved and then we scored and Leigh was sent off.To be honest the game cried out for someone like Pozo although the state of the pitch would have made it hard for him as with anyone trying to run with the ball.

I will watch out for him.

Doug when is the game at Boundary Park?

gillie wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

ant london wrote:What's the craic with Pozo Dougo?

Not sure.His injury was quite a bad one and when he came back he just didn't seem the same and was in and out and now is out.My guess is he came back too quickly and has had some more problems.

He was just about to come on tonight as we needed a goal and Vieira had been having words with Hiwula to get involved and then we scored and Leigh was sent off.To be honest the game cried out for someone like Pozo although the state of the pitch would have made it hard for him as with anyone trying to run with the ball.

I will watch out for him.

Doug when is the game at Boundary Park?

Not sure but I think it's a wednesday night.Should be a cracker too as Fulham are top of their division and I understand the quality in that division is stronger than the northern one.

Just checked and it's next Wednesday the 19th Feb, 7pm start.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

ant london wrote:What's the craic with Pozo Dougo?

Not sure.His injury was quite a bad one and when he came back he just didn't seem the same and was in and out and now is out.My guess is he came back too quickly and has had some more problems.

He was just about to come on tonight as we needed a goal and Vieira had been having words with Hiwula to get involved and then we scored and Leigh was sent off.To be honest the game cried out for someone like Pozo although the state of the pitch would have made it hard for him as with anyone trying to run with the ball.

I will watch out for him.

Thanks Mr H!

Sounds like Huws is doing well at Birmingham City....and generally that we have some really decent talent in the making now.

Who is your tip to feature next at some point for the first team Dougerlarse?

Just followed you on Twitter Doug... not sure if you also put your reports on there but if you do less chance of me missing them now!!

Nickyboy wrote:Just followed you on Twitter Doug... not sure if you also put your reports on there but if you do less chance of me missing them now!!

I don't put them there but Ric of BlueMoon sometimes does.

ant london wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

ant london wrote:What's the craic with Pozo Dougo?

Not sure.His injury was quite a bad one and when he came back he just didn't seem the same and was in and out and now is out.My guess is he came back too quickly and has had some more problems.

He was just about to come on tonight as we needed a goal and Vieira had been having words with Hiwula to get involved and then we scored and Leigh was sent off.To be honest the game cried out for someone like Pozo although the state of the pitch would have made it hard for him as with anyone trying to run with the ball.

I will watch out for him.

Thanks Mr H!

Sounds like Huws is doing well at Birmingham City....and generally that we have some really decent talent in the making now.

Who is your tip to feature next at some point for the first team Dougerlarse?

I think you have been away too long Mr Ant. The bad and very current news re Pozo is that he has just been stretchered off in the under 18's game v Bolton which we are losing 1 nil after 35 minutes. Top of the league and flying but struggling today it seems.I would have gone but waking up at 10.35 for an 11 am kick off made that difficult.

Yes Huws is getting excellent reviews at Birmingham ( Rusnak not quite the same) but somehow I don't think we will see him seriously feature in City's first team. Next prospect to break through if we think Lopes has already done that might well be a couple of years away at least.

Rekik might well be brought back as a squad player next season.The reviews he has had are mixed but I would hope the experience has been ideal and as a 4th choice I think he might be good. Then there is Denayer for the same position and he continues to impress but I really want to see him against tougher quality opponents.

Two full backs in the under 18's are looking promising but very young.A right back called Pablo can't be bad though can it.Actually looking at the 18's and further down there is some serious talent but only time will tell if they can show the continued progress needed to really make it.

You must try to take a "youth" game in when you are next over.

Some game going on v Notlob for the under 18's. 3 nil down after 51 minutes but now 3.2 and pushing for the equaliser.

I think our Under 16's looked brilliant in that recent tournament. Surely someone from that team has what it takes, it has been a while.

Slim wrote:I think our Under 16's looked brilliant in that recent tournament. Surely someone from that team has what it takes, it has been a while.

I think we will get some players good enough for the squad from each age group. It's a question of whether they will be Milner, Micah level or Aguero, Silva level. I think it's likely we'll get both but it could be the ones you expect to go up a level end up not as good as the ones you don't.

Almost all of them have got 'something' & some have it in spades. Physical development will be key to most of them though imo. Most have the football talent & the intelligence & the ones that don't are being weeded out.

Pozo was 'the' player from this group for me personally, even better than Lopes. Now I'm not so sure, don't like this injury stuff at all. Worried. Seen a few talented young lads disappear after a couple of injuries.

Agree with Doug on almost everything but can't agree about Rekik. I think Boyaya is twice as good as a cb, & is still nowhere near good enough. If he is to play in our squad, he should be 6th choice behind Boyata or tried as a def mid imo.

I'd actually be scared of the outcome if he started a Premier League game.

Ted Hughes wrote:
I think we will get some players good enough for the squad from each age group. It's a question of whether they will be Milner, Micah level or Aguero, Silva level. I think it's likely we'll get both but it could be the ones you expect to go up a level end up not as good as the ones you don't.

Almost all of them have got 'something' & some have it in spades. Physical development will be key to most of them though imo. Most have the football talent & the intelligence & the ones that don't are being weeded out.

Pozo was 'the' player from this group for me personally, even better than Lopes. Now I'm not so sure, don't like this injury stuff at all. Worried. Seen a few talented young lads disappear after a couple of injuries.

Agree with Doug on almost everything but can't agree about Rekik. I think Boyaya is twice as good as a cb, & is still nowhere near good enough. If he is to play in our squad, he should be 6th choice behind Boyata or tried as a def mid imo.

I'd actually be scared of the outcome if he started a Premier League game.

Not saying Rekik is good enough as I have seen nothing of him.Probably better than Boyata but that's not saying much. Just maybe Pellers will like him

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:
I think we will get some players good enough for the squad from each age group. It's a question of whether they will be Milner, Micah level or Aguero, Silva level. I think it's likely we'll get both but it could be the ones you expect to go up a level end up not as good as the ones you don't.

Almost all of them have got 'something' & some have it in spades. Physical development will be key to most of them though imo. Most have the football talent & the intelligence & the ones that don't are being weeded out.

Pozo was 'the' player from this group for me personally, even better than Lopes. Now I'm not so sure, don't like this injury stuff at all. Worried. Seen a few talented young lads disappear after a couple of injuries.

Agree with Doug on almost everything but can't agree about Rekik. I think Boyaya is twice as good as a cb, & is still nowhere near good enough. If he is to play in our squad, he should be 6th choice behind Boyata or tried as a def mid imo.

I'd actually be scared of the outcome if he started a Premier League game.

Not saying Rekik is good enough as I have seen nothing of him.Probably better than Boyata but that's not saying much. Just maybe Pellers will like him

That's what scares me. Really scares me. He is very good on the ball for a cb & Pellegrini loves that kind of thing & seems to rate it above defensive competence. He is better on the ball than Nastasic but Nastasic is much much better defensively imo, & I would back Garcia v him in a sprint over 30 yards.

If he could learn to be Gareth Barry, or play in a back 3 with 2 quick players, I could imagine him having a chance one day, but the player I would most liken him to defensively, when I last saw him a few months back, would be Stephen Jordan at cb.

Snippets of stuff he's done since then, suggest he still looks the same. But as we see with Nastasic, & to a lesser extent Demichelis, if you knock the ball around confidently you can get awway with all manner of awful defending & still be rated as a defender by some. That's what really worries me.

Edit: PAUL FUTCHER!! That's who he reminds me of!

Ted Hughes wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:
I think we will get some players good enough for the squad from each age group. It's a question of whether they will be Milner, Micah level or Aguero, Silva level. I think it's likely we'll get both but it could be the ones you expect to go up a level end up not as good as the ones you don't.

Almost all of them have got 'something' & some have it in spades. Physical development will be key to most of them though imo. Most have the football talent & the intelligence & the ones that don't are being weeded out.

Pozo was 'the' player from this group for me personally, even better than Lopes. Now I'm not so sure, don't like this injury stuff at all. Worried. Seen a few talented young lads disappear after a couple of injuries.

Agree with Doug on almost everything but can't agree about Rekik. I think Boyaya is twice as good as a cb, & is still nowhere near good enough. If he is to play in our squad, he should be 6th choice behind Boyata or tried as a def mid imo.

I'd actually be scared of the outcome if he started a Premier League game.

Not saying Rekik is good enough as I have seen nothing of him.Probably better than Boyata but that's not saying much. Just maybe Pellers will like him

That's what scares me. Really scares me. He is very good on the ball for a cb & Pellegrini loves that kind of thing & seems to rate it above defensive competence. He is better on the ball than Nastasic but Nastasic is much much better defensively imo, & I would back Garcia v him in a sprint over 30 yards.

If he could learn to be Gareth Barry, or play in a back 3 with 2 quick players, I could imagine him having a chance one day, but the player I would most liken him to defensively, when I last saw him a few months back, would be Stephen Jordan at cb.

Snippets of stuff he's done since then, suggest he still looks the same. But as we see with Nastasic, & to a lesser extent Demichelis, if you knock the ball around confidently you can get awway with all manner of awful defending & still be rated as a defender by some. That's what really worries me.

Edit: PAUL FUTCHER!! That's who he reminds me of!

hahaha you really don't like him do you Ted! He is better on the ball than the others and you are right that could be a key feature for MP but I don't think he is as slow as you make out and I doubt very much he is slower than Garcia.The bottom line though is he is very very unlikely to be good enough for a top 4 team at centre back.I expect we will get another top class center back like Mangala and make do with 2 covering which may well be Demich and one other with Lescott moving on.